Re:Gender works to end gender inequity by exposing root causes and advancing research-informed action. Working with multiple sectors and disciplines, we are shaping a world that demands fairness across difference.

Diversity & Leadership

Pax World and KLD launch an index series sponsored by the international Finance Corporation to increase gender empowerment. The objective in five indices in the IF Gender Index series is to increase interest among corporations and investors in gender empowerment.

According to a Sunday ET study, nine listed companies managed by prominent women promoters fared better than the top 30 firms listed in the Bombay Stock exchange in year-on-year growth rates for the last five years.

This report stems from Advancing Women in the Global Marketplace, a meeting and consultation which explored the role of business in improving the status of women around the world. The event and workshop brought together representatives of business, civil society, academia, labor, governments, and the UN to develop a more coherent vision of the many ways in which business can help to empower women and advance gender equality.

The Calvert Women’s Principles (CWP) were a focal point of a forum convened by the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), entitled Advancing Women in the Global Marktplace.

A consistent pattern shown by these data is that larger companies are more likely than smaller companies to have one or more women on their boards of directors, a fact that has been documented by all ION members every year.

Asia is probably the region of the world that is both furthest ahead and farthest behind on the gender issue. In Singapore, many women are in management, while in Japan, less than 10% of management positions are held by women. Yet in both locations, the issue of gender is emerging as a key business lever.

According to a recent OECD report, Higher Education to 2030, women will become an even larger majority of the graduate talent pool in only one decade. Companies are already having to ensure that they don’t swing the gender balance too far in favor of women. However, it must be noted that women primarily study the social sciences, while men study engineering.

Top Managers in the Netherlands believe that the only way to reach the top for a woman is to act like a man without showing it. Senior managers currently are reluctant to recruit new women top managers.

Companies that hire and retain more women not only are doing the right thing but can also gain a competitive edge. They can take several basic steps to achieve even greater parity. These companies will be able to draw from a broader pool of talent in an era of talent shortages. What’s more, research shows a correlation between high numbers of female senior executives and stronger financial performance.